Quick Road Trip: Montana & Wyoming.

This was an unplanned trip, unplanned in that I only knew I wanted to see Glacier National Park and possibly the Tetons. I left Friday afternoon and came back early Tuesday morning, and in that time covered nearly 2000 miles. Supplementing my current writings are notes jotted down in my pocket journal while on the trip, which are in italics.

On route 212 to Crow Agency.

Starting out from Rapid City, the highway led along the northern border of the Black Hills to 212, a direct route through the Northeast corner of Wyoming into Montana. I had never been to Montana before and was looking forward to this trip.

Broadus, MT. 4:25 P.M: In Powder River country now. Montana is so far a continuation of Wyoming in terms of landscape, however taking into account its ridges and rocky outcroppings I think larger differences are to come.

While I had driven through Central and Northeast Wyoming; an impressively expansive land, Montana posessed a terrain I was not prepared for in scope and vastness. While ranch lands were aplenty, much of the landscape remained unrepresented by human intervention save for the nonnative grasses that permeated the land. The valleys, foothills and ridges stretched onward to the bighorn mountains; named so for the sheep that inhabit them.

Looking West from the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

I had arrived too late to tour the little bighorn battlefield which closed about an hour earlier, but I could easily say that the land itself was among the most beautiful that I have ever seen of any battlefield. Hawks flew high above the prairie dog towns that dotted the landscape.

Continuing on after stopping briefly in Billings, It became dark as I was nearing Bozeman Pass. Stopping briefly to walk under the bright neon signs lining Livingston, I continued through the pass and down into Bozeman. Being home to Montana State University, Bozeman has a solid nightlife scene with a main street lined with bars, dance clubs, restaurants and cheap eats.

Neon lights in downtown Livingston, Montana.

Bozeman, MT. 11:15 A.M. Trying to make time to Helena, but land is incredible. The foothills and ridges surrounding Little Bighorn are among the most beautiful i’ve ever seen, stretching all the way to the Bighorn Mountains. Bozeman a wonderful college town with quite the nightlife for its size.

Being that I came through Bozeman pass at night, It was the next morning that I saw the series of mountain ranges that surrounded Bozeman. From there I immediately got on the road, wanting to make it to the area surrounding Glacier National Park before nightfall.

Westbound on I-90 from Bozeman on the way to Helena.

Helena: 1:15 P.M. The only place i’ve been that I can compare West Montana to would be Alaska.

The route to the state capital Helena was 287, with tilled fields and railroad tracks on one side and the Missouri river on the other.

The Missouri river and Mountains from Highway 287 on the way up to Helena.

Kalispell: 10:00 P.M. I started the day by driving up from Bozeman, The drive up went well enough; though the distances are vast it certainly doesn’t feel that way with the terrain being as it is.

From Helena I took route 12 further West where the road abruptly rose into the hills, from which there were fantastic views of the surroundings valleys.

Looking East toward the Helena Valley from Highway 12 on the way to Kalispell

Descending from the ridge into another large valley, I suddenly turned onto a rural route that winded through ranch land that seemed to go on forever, only stopping at the foot of the nearest mountain ridge where a series of rainstorms were inundating the landscape.

Echo Mountain. One of the many mountain peaks that dominate Western Montana.

Driving past a series of lakes and mountain peaks, I eventually reached route 83, which hugged the Swan range for hundreds of miles to reach the Kalispell valley.

 The road up was through a wide valley with mountains towering on each adjacent side, passing through little towns such as Swan Lake while rolling the windows up and down sporadically with each passing microclimate.

 

Looking West toward the Swan Range along route 83 toward Kalispell.

Isolated cell over Route 200. On the way to Route 83, a straight shot up to Kalispell and Glacier National Park.

Looking North on Swan Lake from route 83 on the way to Kalispell and Glacier National Park.

I saw two bald eagles feeding off of a carcass on the side of the road here. Also saw what I thought to be a black bear sneaking off of the road as i passed it before the lake itself.

A bald eagle takes flight on the side of the road. Highway 83, Montana.

I eventually arrived just outside of Glacier in the late afternoon as a series of rainstorms were passing over the range and surrounding area. 

Passing storm over farmlands Southeast of Columbia Falls, MT.

Passing through these farmlands, I turned Northeast onto a road that hugged the North Fork of the Flathead River, whose waters originate in the Canadian Rockies.

I drove up adjacent to the north fork of the flathead river; a sizeable river with a beautiful turquoise hue that very much reminded me of the waters in Alaska.

On the North Fork road leading into Glacier National Park.

The road zig-zagged through the immense gorge following the river until coming to a bridge over it which was gated off; closed for the season.

The road was closed over the bridge of the fork leading further into Glacier National Park, but I managed to get some decent pictures over the river before giving into the temptation of driving up the nearby trail creek road that ascended over the valley.

Sunset at the North fork of the Flathead River. Glacier National Park.

Looking toward Glacier National Park from the North Fork road leading to Trail Creek.

I tried to find a clearing in those bastard juvenile pine trees but gave up after becoming exhausted trudging through knee-deep snow and failing to find any clearing significant enough for a clean shot of the best part of the sunset over the mountain peaks. 

Looking toward Glacier National Park from the North Fork road leading to Trail Creek.

However I was able to see with my own eyes the violet and before that golden light surrounding the towering peaks as the sun went down, and that has been good enough for me.

Detail of mountains surrounding the flathead river gorge at dusk.

Venus shines over the forest-lined gorge of the North Fork of the Flathead River in Glacier National Park.

That night I decided to head for Missoula, in order to put myself in a better position for the drive to the Tetons the next day. Even without the moon I could still make out the massive body of water that was flathead lake. Continuing on through small towns and rural areas, I was trailed by no less than four separate police vehicles; the officers most likely being bored out of their minds in rural Montana at 2 am.

I spent a little time walking around Missoula before heading South on I-15 to Northern Idaho.

Lima, Montana. Lima Peaks can be seen in the distance. Just before crossing the border into Idaho

The railroad tracks along Lima, MT. Just North of the Idaho border.

Tetons. 3:45 PM. Drove down from Missoula through mountain passes into Northern Idaho. I have never seen a valley so vast as that of which interstate 15 passes through. Coupled with one of the most visually fascinating concentrated rainstorms I have ever seen over an almost desert like terrain, it was quite a sight.

Rainstorm over Interstate 15. Idaho.

Inside the Snake River Plain. Idaho.

Upon getting out of the rainstorm and driving through gentle rises the land changed again to tilled fields that stretched for miles.

I photographed what I could of the tetons from the Idaho side before entering the teton pass…

The Tetons as seen from Highway 33. Idaho.

was a bit riveting as it was dark and the highbeams of my car lit every piece of snowfall. It was a bit like being in the millennium falcon at lightspeed, stupid as that sounds. Found a good room and was given two slices of free pizza from a guy at Pinky G’s before having a beer at Snake River brewing.

Cowboy Bar in the town square of Jackson Hole, WY.

Jackson hole itself is beautiful, with the town square and look of the town was everything I hoped it would be.

The antler arches at the town square of Jackson Hole.

I have now been spending the day checking out areas per the suggestions of Lyford and the bartender at Dornan’s. People here are the nicest I think I’ve ever experienced in any particular place. I have seen quite a few moose around the park as I wait for fog to life which continues to inundate the Tetons. I hope that it will clear if only briefly for me to capture or at least see it before I turn east back to South Dakota.

A female moose is seen resting amidst the foliage in Grand Teton National Park.

The Grand Teton is partially shrouded by passing fog. Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton pokes through the winter fog clinging to the mountain range. Grand Teton National Park.

At the Snake River overlook from which Ansel Adams took his famous photograph of the Tetons and Snake River.

One of the famous barns in the Jackson Hole Valley.

 

Unfortunately it was soon after I wrote this that a snowstorm from the West moved in and completely inundated the mountains as well as the valley in quick succession. I decided to leave then, taking the road from Jackson Lake to Highway 26 which passed through the continental divide. The area itself was filled with buttes and peaks whose color and formations astounded me.

Pinnacle Buttes, Shoshone Wilderness. Wyoming.

Marker for the Continental Divide. Wyoming.

Trees and hills amidst Highway 26. Wyoming.

Eventually, 26 would lead into the fronier-styled town of Dubois and the desertlike terrain of the Wind River Reservation. I’d be hard pressed to think of another place where the difference in terrain from one side of the road to the other is so stark as it is here.

Looking right going West on Route 26.

Looking left going West on Route 26.

The wind river itself snaked under the road many times, adding an additional touch of beauty to a landscape that had suddenly turned into one that looked like Arizona more than anything else.

The Wind River. Just outside of Dubois, Wyoming.

It wasn’t long before the sun began to set, and I pulled over from route 26 onto a crest overlooking a reservoir. I took a couple frames as dusk was settling in.

Dusk over Pilot Butte Reservoir. Wyoming.

On the side of a road in Wyoming. Cows.

There are roads across central Wyoming that stretch 100 miles at a time in total darkness with not a light to be seen except those of oncoming cars and 18-wheelers. With both of us moving at over 80 miles an hour, the semi’s shake my car to an uncomfortable degree as they go by. In such conditions one cannot tell if a car is one mile away or ten, as there is nothing with which to associate the distance. It was a bit of a surreal experience really.

On the way to Casper from Shoshoni, Wyoming.

After what felt like a lot longer than 10 hours, I made it home early Tuesday morning. So i’m going to wrap this up. Thanks for checking out this post!